As the Air Force prepares for a possible conflict with a major power, such as China and Russia, the service will continue the effort to revamp its most basic unit — the squadron.

The Air Force’s roughly 3,400 squadrons have evolved since 9/11 to fight wars against smaller extremist groups like al Qaida and the Islamic State. But when the next war breaks out, the Air Force says, that may not work.

The military is preparing for the so-called “return to great power competition." If a war were to break out with a nation that has a military comparable to that of the United States, the Air Force couldn’t count on virtually uncontested control of the airspace, as it’s enjoyed for the past 17 years.

In June, Air Force leaders signed off on a Squadron Revitalization Implementation Plan, intended to carry out Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein’s plan to overhaul the squadron structure. And in 2019, the Air Force will continue putting these plans into place.

The squadron overhaul is designed to allow them to better operate in the heat of combat, when they might be cut off from supplies, reinforcements or communicating with headquarters for long periods of time.

Part of that will mean returning more decision-making authority on day-to-day matters to squadrons.

“I may need to take whole units led by a squadron commander, send them forward into a contested environment, have them cut off from ‘Mom and Dad,’ or higher headquarters, and then ask them to be able to make the kind of decisions and risk calculus that they need to be able to make to continue to maintain campaign momentum in a different kind of fight,” Goldfein told reporters in June.

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber aircraft lands at Avalon Airport, Geelong, Australia, March 1, 2017. The B-1B is participating in the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (AVALON), the largest, most comprehensive aerial event of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. While at AVALON, the B-1B will be on static display for airshow participants. This is the first time B-1s have landed in Australia while deployed in support of U.S. Pacific Command’s Continuous Bomber Presence mission. The U.S. conducts CBP operations routinely by forward deploying bombers into the region as a deterrence capability supporting security and allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. Bombers and aircrew commonly participate in combined exercises and operations during CBP deployments. AVALON 2017 provided an ideal forum for the U.S. to showcase the B-1B’s capabilities to our allies, partners and citizens of the Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John Gordinier)

Major commands, numbered Air Forces and wing commanders are working with Air Force staff to spell out new decision authorities, which will be worked into exercises and daily training.

The squadron overhaul will also continue cutting out so-called “queep,” a slang term for unnecessary or outdated duties, training and requirements that annoy airmen. And it seeks to improve education for airmen to become flight commanders within squadrons, to better prepare them to become the next generation of squadron commanders.

At the Air Force Association’s annual Air Space Cyber Conference in September, Goldfein also said the Air Force needs to change how it deploys its airmen. Instead of sending airmen overseas in piecemeal deployments that break up squadrons, the Air Force will need to deploy entire squadrons or wings if it has to fight a war against a peer, Goldfein said.

In that situation, he said, a wing or other unit can’t count on finding an established, mature base where it needs to go. So it will need to be able to quickly show up and be ready to rapidly establish a base, under fire if necessary. The Air Force will start preparing squadrons, wings and other units for such unit-wide deployments.

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth Wright also said the Air Force will need to start building “hybrid” airmen, who are able to step into multiple roles in case their squadron sustains heavy casualties in the field during a major war. If that squadron is cut off and can’t be reinforced, Wright said its airmen will need to know enough to take over for those who were killed or incapacitated.

Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.

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